That Damn Mistletoe
by Micky Fine
Summary: Booth could not believe he'd been so stupid.  He'd hung the damn plant himself and yet now he'd been caught under it with the last person on earth he should ever be kissing. B/B


**That Damn Mistletoe**

The party had not been his idea. Hannah had smiled at him in that way she had and mentioned that it was the first time in six years she'd spent Christmas stateside and he'd agreed to the party. She'd done all the planning, sent out invitations, and had spent most of the day decorating. Sitting on his couch in one of his better suits watching his girlfriend as she straightened garlands and put in an earring, Booth felt a wave of admiration pass over him. Hannah really was one of the most impressive and attractive women he knew. Going to the mirror, she twisted a little to check the back of her red halter dress. Catching Seeley's eye in the reflection, she smiled.

"See, I told you having a nice party for Christmas would be fun," she said with a grin.

"Did I disagree?" he asked, letting his eyes trace over her curves.

"No, but you made that face you give Temperance sometimes."

Booth tried to keep from flinching at the name of his partner and, hoping Hannah wouldn't notice the delay in his response, asked, "What face?"

"The one where you pretend to listen to all of her scientific talk just to humour her."

Booth shook his head and grinned ruefully, ignoring the clenching sensation in his gut that happened every time he thought about Bones.

"I wasn't just humouring you, Hannah. I wanted to throw this party too."

"After I talked you into it."

"Ok, true, but I love Christmas. And the party should be fun."

"Oh this party is going to be more than fun. It's going to be a fabulous bash."

Booth smiled and leaned in to give his girlfriend a brief kiss.

"As long as it makes you happy," he said gently.

"Mm, that reminds me. Could you hang the mistletoe?" Hannah said as she wandered into the kitchen and began placing paper plates and plastic utensils on the island.

Booth looked at the sprig lying on the coffee table and gave a fake gusty sigh, "Where do you want it?"

"Right there," Hannah said, indicating the archway between the living room and kitchen. "There should be a lot of traffic and we should get lots of kisses."

"You're such a romantic," Booth said, shaking his head as he hung the plant in the arch. "Are you trying to match someone up again? You remember how well that didn't work at Halloween, right?"

Hannah stuck her tongue out at him, "I didn't really want Brad and Janet to date, I just thought the name combo and the holiday were too good to pass up."

Booth laughed, "You didn't answer my question."

Hannah smiled enigmatically and said, "I'm not going to tell you because if it doesn't work out, you'll tease me about it for weeks."

"Me?" Booth asked with mock innocence, putting a hand to his chest.

"Yes, you," Hannah said, coming around the counter. She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a peck on the lips just as the doorbell rang. With a wide grin she pulled away.

"Party time!" she sang out as she strode down the hallway to let in the first guests.

* * *

Temperance Brennan had not wanted to come to the party. A series of remains from a dig in Arizona had arrived just that week and she would have much preferred staying in the lab and working with them. However, between the combined efforts of Hannah asking that one of her few friends in D.C. come to her Christmas party and Angela begging her not to abandon her at a party while she couldn't drink, Temperance had pulled herself away from 10th century remains.

Standing in a corner holding a glass of wine, she was unsure whether her time would not have been better spent in the lab. Angela and Hodgins had not yet arrived and most of the guests at the party were co-workers of Hannah's from the press corps or agents from the FBI. Both Booth and Hannah were chatting with other guests and Temperance felt the old sensation of being the wallflower.

Shaking her head at her melancholy, she stepped out of the corner, reminding herself that she was an attractive, adult woman with a PhD and a successful career as an author. Seeing that many of the guests were holding paper plates full of food, she decided to head to the kitchen and grab something before she began mingling. Setting her wine glass down on the coffee table, she moved around a circle of agents and reporters discussing a recent series of gruesome murders in Dallas and headed towards the kitchen.

Moving into the archway between the living room and the kitchen, she pulled to one side as a tall man in a dark suit came toward her. Looking up, she gave a forced smile as she realized the man was Booth.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Hey Bones," he said, "Having a good time?"

"Yes, so far," she said, ignoring what felt like a sudden stampede of _Loxodonta africana_ in her stomach.

"That's good," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

They stood there awkwardly for several moments until there was a cry of delight from Hannah that confused Brennan.

"Mistletoe!"

"What?" Brennan asked Booth, her face creased in confusion.

Booth gave her a look she could not decipher and then pointed upwards with his right index finger. Directing her gaze upwards, she felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as she recognized _Phoradendron flavescens_.

* * *

Booth could not believe he'd been so stupid. He'd hung the damn plant himself and yet now he'd been caught under it with the last person on earth he should ever be kissing. Especially given everything that had happened recently.

Even now he could see the pain and anxiety in her blue eyes as she looked up at him. For the first time since he'd met her, Booth wished Hannah was different. He wished desperately that she did not get such great joy out of watching others kiss under the mistletoe, not just for his own sake but to keep that expression of sadness out of his partner's eyes.

He watched Brennan's eyes tighten as Hannah called out, "Seeley, I want to see a smooch. And no kiss on the cheek. I want lip-on-lip action."

"We don't have to," he murmured so lowly only Bones would be able to hear.

Temperance looked at him, her eyes brimming with emotions he wasn't sure he could label. Absently, he wondered what she saw in his eyes.

"I'm waiting," Hannah sing-songed, smiling at the pair.

"She finds this pleasurable?" Temperance asked, her voice quavering only slightly.

"It's a long story. Let's just say she firmly believes if two people stop under the mistletoe, they must kiss."

Temperance closed her eyes for a moment and Booth felt his heart twist with sympathetic pain. To be in this situation brought back memories that were tinged with regrets, thoughts of what could have been. Seeley once again found himself wishing that he were anywhere but there at that moment.

Temperance opened her eyes suddenly and, to Booth's surprise, they were entirely devoid of emotion. It was the expression she wore when surveying a set of remains.

"I'm ready," she said, her voice clinical.

In the back of his brain, Booth recognized Brennan's behaviour as a defensive mechanism. She was distancing herself from the situation emotionally to avoid further pain. Even as she placed her hands on his shoulders, stood on her tip toes in her high-heeled shoes, and inclined her mouth towards his, he knew that in her head she was probably listing all the bones of the body. In alphabetical order. And for reasons he couldn't fathom, he was suddenly angry. If he had to suffer this kiss, feel these emotions over again, remember all of the pain and loss, then she better damn well feel it too. So with far greater intensity than he had intended, Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan's waist, pulled her tight against him, and crushed her lips to his own.

At first she refused to respond, her lips stiff against his. Running his right hand up her spine and gripping the nape of her neck, he tilted her head towards him and suddenly her lips were moving in tandem with his. Like every other time he'd kissed Temperance, the world fell away and his senses were consumed by her. The smell and feel of her overtook his brain, blotting out any thought of the consequences. All he could think about was of how to prolong this sensation. With a smile, he felt Temperance grip his lapels. However, unlike their last encounter under the mistletoe, instead of using them to pull him closer, she pushed him away.

Booth opened his eyes slowly as he tried to bring his breathing under control. He immediately met Brennan's eyes. Their blue depths were filled with confusion and sadness. Her dilated pupils darted back and forth rapidly as she gazed back at him. He was unsure what she saw there, beyond desire. His brain snapped back to reality quickly, however, when the assembled party began to applaud.

He immediately turned his gaze to Hannah. Amazingly to him, she was smiling broadly and applauding with the rest. Booth forced his face into a smile and nodded at the crowd. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Bones turn her face towards the empty kitchen for a moment before also giving the assembled guests a smile. Booth watched Hannah carefully, shocked that she was not upset at his display, as he would have been in her place. Her belief in the magic of mistletoe kisses was far greater than he'd originally thought.

Booth heaved a sigh of relief as the crowd stopped clapping. He felt rather than saw Brennan retreat into the kitchen, as his eyes were caught by a small group standing in the hallway that led from the front door into the living room. In front, stood Angela and Hodgins, the former shooting him a death glare with her eyes while she forced a smile while the latter simply glowered. Behind them, stood Sweets and Daisy and Booth suppressed a groan as he recognized the speculative expression on the young psychiatrist's face.

Under his breath, Booth muttered sarcastically to himself, "Oh this party was a great idea."

* * *

Temperance gazed unseeingly at the plate of appetizers she had collected. Her brain felt as though it were spinning too quickly for her to be able to settle on a single train of thought. From the moment Booth's lips had touched hers, it seemed as though her mind had ceased functioning in its typical patterns. She had barely been able to summon the will to end the kiss.

Closing her eyes, she leaned into the corner of the counter. Breathing deeply, she again reminded herself that she was an intelligent, attractive woman and that a single kiss should not reduce her to being near tears. She started when she heard the rustle of fabric and opened her eyes to meet the concerned gaze of her best friend.

"Hey sweetie," Angela said gently.

Brennan smiled weakly in reply.

"Looks like it's been one hell of a party so far," Angela continued dryly.

Unexpectedly, Temperance felt her eyes begin to well up.

"Aw, Bren," Angela said sympathetically and she rushed across the room to wrap an arm around her friend.

Brennan tilted her head back to keep the tears from rolling out of her eyes. She struggled to swallow the lump in her throat. Angela rubbed her back with comforting circles and within a few minutes she had herself back under control. Unsure of what to say, she looked down at the plate she still held in her hand.

"Do you want a cheese cube?" she finally managed to ask.

Angela gave a brief laugh and shook her head, "No sweetie. What I'd like to do is kick one Seeley Booth in the shin."

Temperance felt herself frown, "Why?"

"Because after everything, he should not have kissed you like that mistletoe or not."

Temperance ducked her head and murmured gently, "I kissed him back. As you're always saying, it takes two to polka."

"Tango, sweetie. It takes two to tango. And of course you kissed him back. That man unleashed his full powers on you. And it's only been a few weeks since you told him..."

"Please don't remind me. I know what I told him. And I'm still not sure I should have told you what happened," Brennan concluded quietly.

Angela snorted derisively, "I'm your best friend, of course you should have told me."

Temperance looked up and gave the artist a gentle smile.

"There we go. Smiling is good. Now this is a party and we are going to make sure you have a good time," Angela said firmly, pulling the plate of food out of her friend's grasp and placing it on the counter.

"Really, Angela, all I want to do is go home," Brennan said tiredly.

"Which is precisely why you can't leave yet," Angela said firmly, her eyes roving the room until she found what she was looking for. "There are several good looking, single men here. Hannah was telling me all about how she was hoping to set you up with someone."

"Hannah wants to set me up?" Brennan asked confusedly. "Why?"

"Because she, like the rest of us, does not think you should be alone. All of us think that there is a man out there who will appreciate how fabulous you are. And he may just be in that living room out there," Angela said, nodding towards the living room, as she poured alcohol into a glass.

Brennan gave her an uncertain look.

"Believe me, sweetie. This is one of the first steps of moving on."

"How many steps are there?" Temperance asked resignedly.

"Don't worry, I'll guide you through them," Angela said with a smile. "Now drink this," she said handing Brennan a tumbler of vodka, "and then head out there."

Eying the glass for a moment, Brennan gulped down the contents and then strode confidently into the living room and joined a circle of men surrounding the stereo. Angela smiled as she heard her friend engage in the debate over whether Bing Crosby or Burl Ives was more Christmassy.

* * *

Seeley Booth sat on the edge of the bath tub and gazed down into the depths of his glass of scotch. He couldn't seem to keep his brain from replaying those moments in the car after he'd pulled Brennan out of oncoming traffic. His own words kept coming back to him over and over again.

"_The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Bones."_

The sentence seemed to be pounding against the inside of his skull and amplified the disgust he felt with himself. He knew that that kiss, while full of the passion he felt for Bones, a passion he was unsure would ever dissipate entirely, had been all about hurting her. He had wanted her to hurt as much as he knew he would hurt after tearing the wound open that was the could have beens of their relationship. Of course it had backfired. Intentionally trying to hurt her amplified his own pain. He couldn't believe he'd sunk so low. He'd never thought, no matter what happened between them, that he would have been the cause of her pain. Especially after so many years of trying to protect her from the hurt the world seemed to hurl at her on a regular basis.

Sighing deeply, he took a swig out of his glass, and then returned to staring into the depths of the amber liquid. He felt no surprise when he heard the door slide open and shut. When he looked up, however, he did not see the face he'd expected.

"Hodgins," he said in surprise.

"Special Agent Jackass," Hodgins greeted him.

"I guess I deserve that," Booth said with a sigh. "I was kind of expecting Sweets to show up for this talk."

"Hannah managed to push him and Daisy under the mistletoe. I elected myself as his replacement."

"Hannah sure does love that mistletoe," Booth stated bitterly, taking another swallow of his drink.

"She does. But that really isn't why I came up here," Hodgins said, his eyes narrowing.

"Why did you come up here?" Booth asked, his voice lacking any real curiosity.

"Well, Ange would prefer it if I killed you. I think that probably wouldn't turn out too well for me. So I'm just here to make sure you know just how horrible you are."

"Believe me, I'm well aware," Booth said dryly as he drained his glass.

"How could you do that to her? Especially after what she told you," Hodgins asked incredulously.

"How do you even know about it?" Booth asked defensively.

"Dr. B told Angela. Angela told me," Hodgins replied unapologetically.

"Of course she did," Booth muttered. "In answer to your question, I... I wanted her to hurt like I do."

"That's not sick at all," Hodgins stated sarcastically, his eyes burning with anger.

"It's stupid," he corrected him tiredly. "I hurt because I see her hurting. And I know the only reason she's in such pain is because I turned her down."

"So because you know your rejection of her hurt her, you decide to kiss her like you're trying to outdo that scene in _From Here to Eternity_."

"It wasn't that steamy," Booth scoffed.

"Maybe not, but it sure wasn't a chaste peck on the lips."

It took no effort for Booth to recall every moment of the kiss that had taken place downstairs. It felt as if, despite the scotch, he could still taste Bones' lip gloss on his lips. Trying to rid himself of the reverie, he shook his head.

"No, it wasn't chaste," he finally said, leaning against the wall next to the tub.

"Have you changed your mind then?" Hodgins asked quietly.

Booth sat silently for a moment.

"Well?" Hodgins prodded.

"I... it's so damn complicated. I love Hannah. I do, and I have never cheated on any woman I've been with," Booth said and then paused. "But Bones... she... there's a part of me that is always going to want her, I think. And standing under that mistletoe, that part of me just took over without leaving me time to think about the consequences. I knew it was going to hurt afterwards and she was giving me that detached look and I just..."

"You wanted to make sure that she was hurting just as much as you," Hodgins concluded for him. "It's mean and vindictive but I get it."

"I wish I hadn't done it. Wish I hadn't been under that damn mistletoe in the first place," Booth said, rubbing his face tiredly.

"I think all of us, except for maybe Hannah, wish that, Booth," Hodgins said with far more understanding than Booth had anticipated.

"Yeah," Booth agreed.

"We should go back down there," Hodgins suggested, pointing his thumb towards the door. "People are going to start noticing that their host has disappeared."

"Right," Booth said, standing with a sigh. "I just want this night to be over."

"There's the festive spirit," Hodgins commented sarcastically.

Booth gave him a dark smile and followed him out of the room. They emerged back into the party. The entomologist made a beeline for Angela who was leaning against a wall, watching the group gathered in the living room. Booth peered over heads looking for the familiar shade of blonde that was Hannah. Spotting her in a corner not too far from the mistletoe, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him.

"Where have you been?" she asked quietly.

"Just needed a break from all the fun," he replied with a smile that he hoped looked genuine.

"It is a little crowded in here," Hannah agreed as she took a sip of wine. "But I think everyone's having a good time."

"Yeah, I think we're well on our way to that fabulous bash of yours," Booth teased.

"Oh yeah," Hannah said and then her eyes lit up as she spied yet another couple in the archway. "Mistletoe!" she called loudly.

Booth glanced over curiously to see who had been caught under the plant and was astounded when he saw a very familiar auburn head enthusiastically engaged in kissing a man Booth had never seen before. The kiss seemed to go on far longer than necessary and Booth felt himself growing more and more uncomfortable as it continued. When the pair broke apart, he distantly heard Hannah say, "Way to go, Temperance." He caught Temperance's eye for a moment and was surprised how much it hurt when she returned it without a hint of remorse and then turned her face to the man whose arm was still wrapped around her shoulders.

* * *

Temperance had just stepped outside for a few minutes. It was nearing midnight, the revellers were getting increasingly noisy, and she had begun to feel too warm. Unfortunately, the December night air was colder than she had anticipated leaving her feeling chilled. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an effort to increase circulation. Hearing movement behind her, she started and turned to look behind her.

"It's just me," a masculine voice said.

"Chris?" she asked.

"In the flesh," he replied as he came into view and flashed her a smile.

She couldn't help but smile back. Chris Trent was one of those people who were instantly likeable. He was tall, dark-haired, and his green eyes drew her in. She watched his muscles flex beneath the fabric of his dress shirt as he removed his suit coat and draped it over her bare shoulders.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He simply nodded and looked up at the stars that were only slightly visible through the haze of lights the city cast into the sky.

"I was wondering where you'd went," he said, not looking at her.

"I felt over warm. I came out here to cool off," she said plainly, craning her neck as she traced her eyes over the familiar pattern of Orion.

"Hmm," Chris said. "So you'd pick hypothermia over hyperthermia?" he teased.

Brennan smiled, "No, I didn't realize how cold it was and the quiet was so nice..."

"I get it," Chris said. "It is getting a bit noisy in there. Do you want to leave?"

"I drove myself here, I don't need a ride," Temperance replied firmly.

"Actually, I was hoping you could give me a ride. I took a cab here and since you're thinking of leaving, I thought..." Chris trailed off.

"Of course I can give you a ride. I should go in and say goodbye to everyone before we leave though," Brennan said with little enthusiasm.

"Why don't I do it?" Chris suggested. "I'll grab your coat while I'm in there."

"That's very kind of you," Brennan said with a smile.

"Oh I have an agenda," Chris teased. "I'm hoping to get your phone number out of this. Possibly your address too."

Temperance smiled.

"I'll take that as a maybe," Chris said as he backed towards the door. "Don't go anywhere," he called over his shoulder as he opened the door and returned to the crush of the party.

"I won't," Brennan murmured to herself as she turned her gaze back to the night sky.

She was surprised when she heard the door reopen and close very shortly after Chris' departure. She turned to see who had joined her and immediately turned away when she saw Booth's familiar figure. For a moment it felt as if there were a knife that had been twisted in her gut. Taking a deep breath, the pain eased a little.

"Hey," he said softly as he came to stand beside her.

She nodded her head at him and then looked away.

"Listen, Bones, I just wanted to apologize."

"For what?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound as clinical as possible.

"For how I acted tonight. I should not have kissed you like that," Booth said. He tried desperately to catch his partner's eye but she studiously avoided meeting his gaze.

"You shouldn't have," she agreed quietly.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"So who loaned you the coat?" Booth asked, in what he hoped sounded like a lighter tone.

"Chris," Brennan responded as she drew it closer around her body.

Booth strove to sound nonchalant as he asked, "That guy I saw you kissing under the mistletoe?"

He must have sounded accusatory because Brennan's tone was defensive when she replied, "Yes."

Booth nodded, trying to remain casual, "So is he a party crasher because I know I didn't invite him."

"He's a friend of Hannah's from college. He teaches American Civil War history at Georgetown. He's nice," she concluded, finally turning to face him, her eyes daring him to say something.

"He seems nice. And very adept with his tongue," Booth quipped acidly, knowing that his pain was leaking into his tone.

Brennan's eyes widened with surprise and hurt, "Excuse me?"

"I heard him talking in there. He's well-spoken," Booth replied, although he knew there was still some anger in his tone.

"Booth," Brennan began but stopped when the door opened once more and Chris emerged. The other man smiled widely when he saw Temperance and his expression dimmed only slightly when he saw Booth standing almost toe-to-toe with her. The partners backed away from each other and Chris came between them, stretching out his hand to shake Booth's.

"Great party, Seeley," he said amicably. "I had a really good time."

"Great," Booth said, forcing a smile while he shook the other man's hand and resisted the urge to squeeze as hard as he could. The smile faded as soon as Chris turned his back to him and faced Bones.

He took the suit jacket she proffered and helped her put on her own coat. Booth couldn't help but notice how Chris' hands lingered on her bare skin and then quickly reached out to clasp one of her hands in his. The agent wasn't sure if he wanted to roll his eyes or punch the other man.

"Ready to go?" Chris asked Brennan.

"I need a few more minutes with Booth," Temperance said, as she dug her car keys out of her pocket. "Why don't you go start my car, it's the silver one on the corner, and I'll be there shortly," she suggested, handing him the keys.

"Sure," Chris said, squeezing her hand before he let go.

Booth watched the other man as he walked away. As soon as he was sure Chris was out of earshot he turned accusingly to his partner, "You're letting him drive?"

"Booth, that really isn't pertinent," she said tiredly.

"Years of you nagging me to let you drive and you're going to let him drive without a single complaint after just meeting him? What is up with that?" Booth asked incredulously.

"Booth," she said firmly.

"Fine," Booth said but as he watched the other man climb in the driver's side of Brennan's car he felt his gut twist and his temper flare.

"Is he going home with you?" he demanded.

"What if he is?" Brennan shot back.

"You just met him! He could be a crazy kidnapper. Or a serial killer. Or the member of a cult that will cut off all your hair," he said, his voice rising.

Brennan quirked an eyebrow at him but he could tell that she was beginning to get angry.

"Booth, do you really think Hannah would be friends with anyone like that?" she asked.

"No," he said petulantly. "But you still shouldn't take him home with you."

"Why, Booth? Why does it matter so damn much if I bring him home with me?"

"Because..."Booth grasped for a logical reason for his irrational reaction.

Brennan shook her head in disgust.

"Do you still love Hannah?"

"Yes."

"Then what I do with other men shouldn't bother you."

"Bones, you're my friend," Booth began.

"So are Angela and Jack and Hannah, and all of them told me tonight that I should give Chris a chance."

"Well, that's because they don't care about you the same way I do," Booth protested.

"And how is that exactly?" Brennan asked rhetorically, gesticulating with her hands. "You care about me so much that you're allowed to move on and love someone else but as soon as I try to do the same you do your best to destroy it? Is that how you care about me?"

"You honestly think you could move on with that guy?" Booth scoffed derisively.

"Maybe I could," Brennan shot back. "He's a good man. He makes me smile. He's intelligent. Maybe I could love him some day."

"I thought love was just a combination of chemicals in the brain," Booth said, feeling as though he was losing his grip on something.

"All emotions are the results of chemicals in the brain, Booth. It doesn't make them any less real," Temperance said as her eyes sparkled brightly with anger and unshed tears.

"So all of a sudden you believe love is real?" Booth asked incredulously.

"I know it is," Temperance said sadly as she turned away from him.

Booth stared at his partner in shock. She had admitted... He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Bones..." he began, stretching out a hand toward her.

"Don't," she replied, stepping out of his reach.

"Bones," he tried again, his voice full of pleading and apology.

She turned to face him, her eyes full of tears, and her voice nearly cracked as she told him, "Don't call me Bones."

Booth stepped back as if she had slapped him. The words stung like acid as they seeped into his brain.

"Temperance," he said, all of his pain evident in those few syllables.

She gazed at him sadly for a moment and then her expression changed.

"Go back to Hannah," Brennan said firmly. "I'll see you on Monday."

With that she turned on her heel and strode towards her car where Chris was waiting. Booth watched her go, his eyes following the taillights until they disappeared around the corner. His chest ached as if she had carved a hole in it. He'd thought that he'd already felt the most pain Temperance Brennan could ever cause him the night she had refused to take a chance on them. Now he wasn't so sure. Despite having moved on and despite his love for Hannah, the mere thought of Bones moving on with anyone, of her moving beyond him caused a stabbing pain in the vicinity of his heart. Absently he wondered how the two of them could cause each other to suffer so much without having actually had a romantic relationship.

He took an unsteady breath and turned when he heard the door open. Hannah stepped out and quickly hurried to his side where she wrapped her arms around him.

"What are you doing out here, Seeley? It's freezing," she said.

"Just seeing off Dr. Brennan and Chris," Booth said, avoiding looking at Hannah as he spoke, knowing that his expression would give away just what he thought about that scenario.

"Oh good," Hannah replied, her joy evident in her tone. "I was hoping they'd hit it off."

"Oh?" Booth said, unable to manage more than the single syllable in a civil tone.

"I think they're really well-suited for each other," she continued. "I convinced him to pull her under the mistletoe, you know," she concluded smugly.

Booth made a strangled noise in his throat that he hoped Hannah took as a form of agreement. He'd always been ambivalent about the relationship between his girlfriend and his partner and now he found himself regretting ever putting them in the same room. Maybe if they'd never become friends he could have avoided the current situation entirely. Being honest with himself however, he realized that the only way he could have avoided his current emotional state was if he'd never met Hannah in the first place. It was the first time he'd ever regretted falling in love with the reporter and he felt guilty for it.

"So are you having fun?" Hannah prodded as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the door.

Booth thought about everything that had happened that evening, the image of Temperance's face as she turned away from burned into his retinas. Forcing his face into a broad smile, he lied.

"It's been a blast."

* * *

_Reviews appreciated._


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